Friday, July 13, 2018

Abracadabra Coffee Releases CBD-Infused Cold Brew

In the past year, food and beverage producers have released everything from chocolate truffles to beer laced with cannabidiol, the cannabis compound said to relieve muscle pain, upset stomach, anxiety, autism symptoms and more. Chefs have even prepared special meals with a dose of the stuff in every course.

Now, Abracadabra Coffee, the Woodstock roastery known for sourcing single-farm, single-origin beans, is set to release its first batch of CBD cold brew, company cofounder Sarah Yetter told Seven Days.

The new beverage is dubbed Chill Brew and packaged in a can combining artwork by Abracadabra artist friend Dang Olsen and local designer Andrew Plotsky. The beans come from a small farm in Ethiopia; the CBD oil, from Luce Farm in Stockbridge.

The coffee makers connected with the hemp farm some time ago at the Vermont Farmers Market in Rutland, according to Yetter, and the chemistry felt right.

"Our companies aligned really well," she said, "so we decided to do a collaboration with them. We really like what they do, and they really like what we do."

And, Yetter added, customers seemed ready for coffee that does more than just caffeinate them. "[CBD] is something we really believe in, and it seems like a good first step in the natural progression of the market," she said.

Each can contains 20 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD oil. According to Luce Farm, the oil contains all of hemp's naturally occurring cannabinoids (not just cannibidiol), along with the plant's aromatic compounds and traces of THC, all of which are thought to enhance the CBD's effect.

As for the coffee's tasting properties, Yetter said the herbaceous hemp flavor is apparent in every sip. "That was intentional on our part," she said. "We chose [this specific] coffee because it’s a fruity, floral, juicy coffee, and the CBD has a really nice floral aroma."

Sound like something you'd like to try?

Abracadabra will host a release party this Friday, July 13, at its Woodstock roasting facility. Customers can swing by for coffee, food trucks and record-spinning.